Atmospheric mineral dust (hereby ’dust’) is a key component of the Earth system and has widespread climatic impacts. Dust affects the global climate and environment through, for example, radiative forcing, cloud formation, and nutrient cycles1,2, but its parametrisation in global climate and… Leggi tutto Earth system models is defective3-5. Recently, the current net effect of dust direct radiative forcing on global climate was calculated as most likely negative, although potentially slightly positive given the large uncertainty on this estimate (-0.2 ± 0.5 W m-2 with 90% confidence interval5 ). Many uncertainties remain in such calculations, largely caused by incomplete data on the chemical and physical properties of dust particles, and on the meteorological processes and driving mechanisms behind dust emission, transport, and deposition (‘dust cycle’). While climate models have become increasingly complex, the parametrisation of dust processes, although also improving, lags behind this development, and its uncertainties amplify as models get more sophisticated4 . This limits our understanding on the Earth system as a whole and hampers the ability of models to predict the effects of climate changes on the natural world and societies. A necessary first step to enhance models is to have more observational data on dust properties. The arid and semi-arid East Asia is one of the key global dust sources, but, for example, observational studies on East Asian dust mineralogy were ~50% less than those from the northern African region by 20156 . Compared to other major global dust sources, East Asia is unique in that it also hosts a globally exceptional geologic archive of windblown dust from the past ~25 million years, the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP; Fig. 1). Extensive research, especially provenance studies, on the CLP dust deposits has been a key in revealing the long-term, two-way link between dust and climate changes in the Earth’s history7-10 . Dust provenance analysis is, in fact, one of the few methods that simultaneously provide information on all the steps of the dust cycle (emission, transport, deposition). Because of the scarcity of interdisciplinary studies involving both atmospheric scientists and geologists, the CLP region has much unused potential to establish a link between past and present dust activity to better understand both and to enhance the modelling aspects of dust11-13 . In this project, I study the properties and provenance of dust collected by active and passive samplers in East Asia during 2019–2023.

Extreme events in Europe have been shown to affect forest health status and they will likely increase in frequency, causing significant impacts. Super-sites integrating long-term ground observations and multi- scale spectral information need to be established across biogeographical regions, focusing on key… Leggi tutto forest types that have already shown significant degradation (such as evergreen and deciduous oak forests, and southern European pine forests). In this context, the FlyFor will combine hyperspectral and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence airborne measurements to determine tree stress responses along a stress severity axis, to upscale current and possible future climate impacts on forests. A biogeographical west-European transect including three super-sites (in forest ecosystems which are showing mild to severe signs of decline) was designed including: i) Mediterranean evergreen oak forests, ii) continental deciduous oak forests, iii) low altitude alpine pine forests. Ground-truth data available at the selected super sites (Eddy Covariance, defoliation, sap flow, canopy hyperspectral reflectance and SIF) will be integrated with additional FlyForSIF measurements (airborne SIF, Leaf Area Index, Leaf Water Content, Specific Leaf Area, leaf pigment content and leaf Pulse-Amplitude- Modulation-PAM fluorescence). Pigments (including xanthophylls) will be measured at selected trees during the summer of 2025. Flight campaigns will be carried out with IBIS-CASI-SASI hyperspectral sensors. The ability of single-tree spectral information to detect tree stress will be tested and upscaled to the satellite level using PlanetScope imagery. In the FORWARDS initiative context, the expected results will act as a proof of concept for the future implementation of a multi-scale tool for long-term detection of climate change impacts on European forests.

To achieve net zero by 2050, mining of many metals needed to build renewables (e.g. lithium and nickel for EV batteries, copper for electrification) is a recognised essential necessity. To source these metals currently Europe is highly reliant on non-European… Leggi tutto countries many of them politically unstable and with bad records on human rights. Hence a key strategic priority for the EU is to boost critical metals mining in Europe. This project will substantially contribute to improve European mining efficiency, environmental sustainability and as a result social acceptance. OptimalSlope is an SME providing a novel geotechnical software which determines topological optimal shapes of slopes so that the overall steepness of the pitwalls of open pit mines and quarries is maximized without compromising safety. Adopting optimal pitwalls allows to extract more ore for less waste-rock (up to 27% waste reduction) hence increasing mining efficiency and reducing substantially mining carbon footprint and the need to dispose of tailings. The innovations will be first implemented and validated for the first time in one of the largest open-pit mines in Europe, the Asarel copper mine in Bulgaria, in a large open pit mine in Turkey (RIS country) and in several quarries in the East & South-East Europe (ESEE) region.

Le rivage de la Corse s’étire sur plus de 1000 km, ce qui représente plus de la moitié du littoral français de Méditerranée, et 14 % des côtes hexagonales (O.E.C., 2000). La Corse est bordée de plateformes peu étendues (plus de 10… Leggi tutto km), les secteurs les plus larges se situent au Nord et au Sud de l’île. La plateforme orientale, et celle de la Balagne et des Agriates ont une largeur intermédiaire (environ 5 à 10 km), tandis que le reste de la marge est, le long du Cap Corse et de la façade occidentale, extrêmement étroite. Une spécificité du rivage insulaire est la forte proportion de côtes rocheuses (71 %), le littoral sableux se concentrant essentiellement sur la façade maritime orientale de l’île (Pluquet, 2006). Le littoral sableux, et plus globalement les fonds meubles du circalittoral (à partir de -40 m), ont fait l’objet de peu d’études comparativement aux côtes rocheuses et aux fonds durs alors même qu’ils sont la cible du chalutage, une technique de pêche à l’impact physique direct sur les fonds marins (Jones, 1992; Pauly et al., 2002). Parmi ces fonds meubles du circalittoral, on retrouve pourtant dans les « sables » la « Biocénose du détritique côtier (DC) » qui contient des habitats de grand intérêt d’un point de vue biodiversité comme « l’Association du maërl sur DC » et « l’Association à rhodolithes sur DC ».

MARGIN identifies vulnerable areas in cities concerning changes in quality and quantity due to climate change and urbanisation. It develops strategies and tools for adaptation to changing groundwater conditions and extreme levels in order to ensure a sustainable infrastructure development… Leggi tutto and management of groundwater as a resource and ecosystem in cities. The project takes quantitative (groundwater recharge, extremely low and high groundwater levels) as well as qualitative (thermal, chemical, biological) changes/vulnerabilities into account. The project will analyse the requirements and present status of different European cities regarding the management of the groundwater resource in the Alpine Space, gather and analyse the relevant data from city and regional administrations to identify and evaluate vulnerable areas to groundwater changes in quality and quantity. Based on this evaluation user-oriented adaptation strategies and measures will be developed for the implementation in city planning and local water administration procedures. To cover this, MARGIN will conduct this approach in four cities in the Alpine region with different climate and socio-economic conditions, urbanization levels, and administration procedures to cover the variety of the Alpine space: Munich, Milano, Ljubljana, Linz. MARGIN is co-funded by the EU Interreg Alpine Space Programme 2021-2027 Total eligible costs: 2.985.084 EUR ERDF grants: 2.238.813 EUR (75%)

The project involves high school students and university students from Italy, Dubai and Maldives. Scientific measurements with the remote TNA sensor will be used mostly to educational purpose, the data will be collected during research campaign mostly carried out on… Leggi tutto sail boat but also on research ship, and focused on microplastic and emerging contaminants determination involving collection of samples of plankton, seawater air, sediments and benthic invertebrates.